USPS employee theft has led to charges against 33 post office workers in the Los Angeles area, including embezzlement and failure to deliver 50,000 pieces of mail. One of the suspects is the former president of the mail workers union.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the suspects were connected to 28 cases involving mail theft and/or possession of stolen mail. Other charges included conspiracy, bank fraud, and making false statements.

"Arrest warrants were issued for six of the 33 defendants, who were recently charged as a result of investigations by the USPS's Office of Inspector General," said prosecutors. "Most of the defendants were charged in indictments that were returned by federal grand juries …"

City News Service said one of those nabbed, Jarol Garcia, 33, is the former president of the local Mail Handlers Union. He was charged with conspiracy and possession of stolen mail. Garcia had worked at the Moreno Valley Delivery Distribution Center as a mail handler.

Prosecutors said Garcia was charged with stealing mobile phones from parcels and trading them via a website. They said Garcia possessed at least 166 mobile phones stolen from the mail in December 2015.

"The mail system plays an important role in our country's commerce and social communication," said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. "Maintaining its integrity is vital. Mail theft across Southern California has increased recently, which is significant since this type of crime tends to be a precursor to other crimes like identity theft and drug offenses."

Prosecutors charged that Los Angeles mail carrier Norman A. Muschamp, 48, stole the identity of theft victims to order pre-paid debit cards that were sent to non-existent addresses on his mail route.

Muschamp is accused of delivering the cards totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars to co-conspirators in exchange for cash.

The defendants were be arraigned in the U.S. district courts in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Riverside, California.

USPS employee theft has led to charges against 33 post office workers in the Los Angeles area, including embezzlement and failure to deliver 50,000 pieces of mail. One of the suspects is the former president of the mail workers union.